JUSTICE SECRETARY Leila de Lima admitted to the impeachment court that the executive branch does not have any power or authority to review any decisions made by the Supreme Court.

During grilling by Defense lead counsel Serafin Cuevas on the 22nd day of the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, Cuevas asked de Lima categorically if the executive branch has any authority to review decisions or orders made by the SC.

“There is no such power,” de Lima acknowledged.

“Is there any function allotted to the executive branch reviewing decisions of the Supreme Court?” Cuevas asked.

“Also none,” de Lima said.

“If that is so, why could there be a dispute with regard to the validity of the order of the Supreme Court (with regard to the TRO)?” Cuevas said.

De Lima argued that this particular case was different because “the issue is the propriety of the TRO of the SC.”

“We are questioning the propriety of the TRO because it goes against the very essense of a TRO,” De Lima added.